* Professional rugby league begins in Australia with the formation of the New South Wales Rugby League

Penza has also a professional rugby union club, Imperia-Dynamo Penza, from Russia's Professional Rugby League.

Universitet Chita compete in the Professional Rugby League, the top division of rugby union in Russia.

RC Novokuznetsk compete in the Professional Rugby League, the highest division of rugby union in Russia.

* Pat Sanderson, Professional rugby union player who currently plays for Worcester Warriors, He has 16 caps for the English national team and is an ex-England captain

* Professional Rugby League, the top tier, professional rugby league in Russia

Professional rugby in the southern hemisphere kicked off with the professional All Blacks playing a professional rebel New South Wales team organised by Smith's contact, James Giltinan.

Professional rugby union side Caledonia Reds played some of their home games at McDiarmid Park before they were merged with the Glasgow Warriors in 1998.

Monino is home to VVA-Podmoskovye, current champions of the Professional Rugby League, Russia's national rugby union competition.

* Stephen Ferris, Professional rugby player ; Ulster, Ireland, British and Irish Lions.

* Toby Faletau, Professional rugby player representing Newport Gwent Dragons and Wales

* Chris Henry Professional rugby player for Irish Province Ulster.

* Ian Whitten Professional rugby player for Irish Province Ulster.

* Nevin Spence Professional rugby player for Irish Province Ulster.

* The Professional Rugby Players ' Association, the representative body of professional rugby players in England

Sanderson is also now the players representative of the This is Rugby campaign, in association with the The Professional Rugby Players ' Association, Premier Rugby Limited and the RFU, to promote the Core Values of rugby following a spate of disreputable incidents in professional premiership rugby.

Professional black players first took to the professional rugby league pitch prior to the first world war.

Professional rugby league returned to France in February 2006 when Perpignan-based club Catalans Dragons joined Super League.

Professional rugby league was briefly represented in London in the 1930s by London Highfield ( 1933 ), Acton & Willesden ( 1935 – 36 ) and Streatham & Mitcham ( 1935 – 36, disbanded March 1937 ).

* Brendan Dolan ( 1973-), Professional darts player for the PDC

* 1985 – Paul Rabil, Professional lacrosse player

At the end of each season, members of the Professional Hockey Writers ' Association vote to determine the player who was the best defenseman during the regular season.

* Tommy Mooney Professional football player

* January 28 – Dottie Hunter, Canadian Professional baseball player ( d. 2005 )

* November 26 – Karl Henry, Professional football player

* Professional basketball players Steve Nash ( who was an award winning player " MP3 " according to Ali G and unable to speak proper English due to being Canadian ), Ben Wallace ( who he accuses of " playa-hating "), Shaquille O ' Neal ( who he argued with about the meaning of the NBA, Ali thinking it stood for Nationwide Basketball Society ), Tim Duncan ( from whom tried to get a pair of free sneakers ), Robert Horry, Dwyane Wade ( who he didn't realise was an NBA player, claiming he had snuck in to " hang with mah man Shaquille O ' Neal "), Richard Jefferson ( whom he called Thomas Jefferson his son ), Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Reggie Miller

* Helen Walulik ( 1929 – 2012 ), birthplace and childhood home, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player.

In a PFA Fans ' Favourites survey published by the Professional Footballers ' Association in December 2007, Chris Grimshaw was listed as the all-time favourite player amongst Accrington Stanley fans.

Originally a player in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball ( NPB ), Ichiro moved to North America in 2001 to play in MLB for the Seattle Mariners, with whom he spent 12 seasons.

* Professional football player Danny Woodhead attended North Platte High School

Professional basketball players include three-time NBA champion Danny Ainge ' 81, 1952 NBA Rookie of the Year and 4-time NBA All-Star Mel Hutchins ' 51, three-time Olympic medalist and Hall of Famer Krešimir Ćosić ' 73, and consensus 2011 national college player of the year Jimmer Fredette ' 11, currently with the Sacramento Kings.

* Professional football player Darrell Shropshire.

* Professional football player Sheldon Brown.

* Professional baseball player Danny Clyburn ( Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates ).

* Professional baseball player Pep Harris ( Cleveland Indians, Anaheim Angels ).

* Professional baseball player Jeff Twitty ( Kansas City Royals ).

* Professional baseball player Brian Williams ( Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox ).

* Professional football player Bill Belk ( San Francisco 49ers ).

* Professional football player Will Brice ( St. Lois Rams, Cincinnati Bengals )

* Jeff Mead, 1994, Professional hockey player.

* Betty Jane Fritz, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player

* Bob Oliver, Professional Baseball player

* Darren Oliver, Professional Baseball player